"Where's your brother now? Is he at Olympus too?" Nico asked.

Will shook his head, "Our aunt said it served better to be at different schools, for what, I don't know, but I haven't seen him since she shipped us off. I don't know where he is either. No contact."

Nico frowned, "What kind of fuckery is that?"

Will shrugged, "Our aunt is very stupid."

"Have you tried to look him up online?"

Will looked down at the grass, "I'm really bad at looking people up, the closest I found was some old guy with the same name in Canada."

Nico's frown deepened, "You have got to be kidding me."

Will shook his head, "It's not like it's that urgent. And what about him? He could've tried contacting me and he never has."

This time, Nico didn't have a response.

Will sighed, "We should be heading back." He stood up and offered a hand to Nico. He took it and he hauled him up, at which point they were standing awfully close. So close, Will could make out the way Nico's dark eyelashes slightly curled. And the way his black-brown eyes had tiny green flecks around his pupils that glowed under the moon. Nico was lovely.

Suddenly, he frowned and dropped Will's hand. "Let's get a move on then, Solace. I'd like to get back in time to sleep for a couple hours."

Will cleared his throat and gestured for Nico to walk before him, "After you, Sunshine."

Nico frowned again at Will's use of the nickname "sunshine" but didn't reply and walked ahead. Having basically shared everything they could have about their pasts seemed to drain them both and they didn't speak until they made it safely Inside The mansion when Will tried to walk Nico to his room. He scowled in his general direction, not really being able to see him in the dark. "Your room's that way Solace." Nico pointed behind them.

"I'm walking you to your room." He whispered back.

"That's unnecessary."

"I'm doing it anyway."

Nico harrumphed in an annoyed matter and stopped trying to get him to go to his own room when he saw they were a step away from his own. He almost entered his room without saying anything and when Will was about to say goodnight, Nico turned halfway through the door and grumbled, wishing him a goodnight then closed the door before Will said anything. He stood there dumbfounded by the fact that Nico had said it before he had for about ten minutes until he heard a harpy coming near and he quietly jogged back to his own room before he could get caught, with a smile on his lips.

When he turned around after silently closing the door behind him, he jumped, surprised at seeing Cecil waiting for him, sitting on a desk chair. He waited until the Harpy's steps receded before he spoke, "What are you doing awake? I thought you'd be asleep."

Cecil smirked. "I had to know how your date went."

Will blushed and mumbled, "It wasn't a date you dork."

Cecil rolled his eyes, "Right. But anyway-"

"What did you do?" There was no other reason why Cecil would stay up. He might actually want to know about his "date" but there had to be an alternative reason.

"Nothing!" He held his hands up to accent his innocence. Will eyed him with uncertainty but in the end decided he was telling the truth.

"Okay, so what is it really?"

"I saw something-well, overheard it mostly. They weren't doing much but talking." He waited for Will to take it in, which was ridiculous, it wasn't like he was telling him he was a son of a Greek god or something.

Will made a circular motion with his hand, indicating Cecil to continue, "And...?"

Cecil sighed, "Lou told Reyna she liked her."

Will's brain exploded.

And then it all clicked.

Will had known Lou liked Reyna, duh. Lou was his best friend but she always said nothing would happen so she wouldn't make a big deal out of it and so Will thought she wouldn't say anything about it. But those months ago, when Lou first told them about Nico, she wouldn't really look at Reyna. There was no doubt now that something had happened the day before that made Lou awkward and change her perspective. Which most likely, eventually led to what Cecil overheard. "What else did they say?"

"So we were going to eat lunch outside the library and I was late-" Will rolled his eyes. Naturally. "-Hey it's not my fault. There was a long line!"

"Right."

"Whatever. So I was rounding the corner and I heard Lou say she had something to say to Reyna and so I backtracked and hid. Then she told her she liked her and it was quiet until Reyna said what and Lou said, 'I like you' and Reyna laughed nervously and then stopped because she saw Lou was serious. So then I left because I thought they'd tell me later anyway and I had to tell you but you've been gone all day."

Will smiled remembering his time with the pale boy with dark eyes. Cecil noticed this and he rolled his eyes. "So you won't tell your best friend what's going through that medical head of yours?"

Will's smile enlarged. "C'mon, you know what I'm thinking."

"So now will you tell me how your date went?"

"Let's just say it was pretty amazing."

"Dude, I just gave you some juicy gossip and I get nothing in return?"

"Alright, alright." He held up his hands in defeat. "I helped him study all day and then we ate and I... "

Cecil raised his eyebrows in disbelief, "No way! Did you kiss him? Did you make out?" He fake gasped and before Will could answer or tell him to quiet down he yelled, "WILLIAM SOLACE. DID YOU FUCK THE ITALIAN KID?"

Will's face exploded in heat, "Oh my god, NO! Cecil, shut up!"

And so he burst out laughing, "You should've seen your face!" Will couldn't really get a word in with all that laughing so Cecil didn't quiet down until they heard a Harpy coming down the hall. They both sprang into bed.

Will saw the glow of the flashlight creeping up from the slit under the door before he fell asleep.